


On the road, you learn to share warmth

by roryteller



Series: Princess Rover prompts [1]
Category: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Sharing Body Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 02:09:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6066679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roryteller/pseuds/roryteller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since Utopia, there's been something going on with Amberle and Eretria. Wil gets sick of it and leaves them to talk it out, but they do a little more than just talk...</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the road, you learn to share warmth

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt from tumblr user shesthemuscle: Wil is done with Amberle and Eretria dancing around their feelings for each other so he locks them in a room so they finally talk about it.

By the end of the day, as they sat around a guttering fire in a long-abandoned cabin, Wil had had enough. “What the hell happened between you two?”

Eretria and Amberle shared a glance, confused. They’d been verbally sparring, the same as usual. Sure, there had been one, or two... or three awkward silences, but...

“What do you mean?” asked Amberle.

“Well, a couple of days ago, I would have done anything for the two of you to get along, or at least to stop looking daggers at each other. Now, I can’t tell what’s going on with you! One moment it seems like you’re finally learning to trust each other, the next it's worse than before. What gives?"

"It's nothing," says Amberle, cutting off Eretria as she was about to say something else.

Eretria settled for glaring at Amberle.

"That certainly looks like something," said Wil. He stood. "I'm going to look for more firewood while you two work it out." He left, slamming the door behind him.

Amberle tried to run after him, but the door was stuck.

"Out of the way, Princess," said Eretria, half pushing her aside. She braced her foot against the doorframe and yanked it loose.

By then, Wil had disappeared into the night.

Eretria sighed and sat back down on the threadbare rug by the fire. "Well, I'm not going to waste my time chasing after him. You can, if you want."

Amberle shut the door and sat next to her, wrapping her cloak tighter around her. It was cold out, and the cabin was drafty.

"What's gotten into him, anyway?" asked Eretria at last.

"Probably your bad manners."

"Or your high airs." But she put less force in it than usual, and Amberle turned to see Eretria poking the fire with a stick, a frown on her face.

"Eretria..."

"In Utopia... did you just come for the map?" There was something raw in Eretria's eyes, something needy and hurt, lonely perhaps. But then Eretria broke eye contact, her expression hardening, and looked back into the fire. "You don't have to answer that."

Amberle reached for her hand, then thought the better of it. "No. I didn't even tell Wil about the map."

"Why?"

"I..." It was a good question. Amberle probably should have told Wil, that map was important, but... "It didn't even cross my mind."

"Why?" repeated Eretria, hope and fear warring in her eyes, her mouth open, uncertain.

"I don't know, I just wanted to save you."

"You really do care," said Eretria, incredulous.

"Isn't that my line? But yes, I do." A breeze cut through the cracks in the wall and Amberle shivered.

"Come here." Eretria gestured for Amberle to move closer.

Amberle tilted her head, questioning.

Eretria snorted. "Don't look at me like that, Princess. Living on the road, you learn to share warmth. It doesn't have to mean anything."

Amberle stared into her eyes for a moment, though she wasn't sure what she was looking for. Then she scooted closer to Eretria, and allowed the rover to pull her into a sort of one-armed embrace, as though they were friends.

Were they?

"But what if..." Amberle heard herself say, then shut her mouth before she said something stupid.

"What if what, Princess?" Eretria turned a little to look at Amberle, and Amberle could feel Eretria's breath on her face.

"What if..." _and who cares if it's stupid, we might all die tomorrow anyway..._ "what if I want it to mean something?"

Eretria pulled back, and at first Amberle thought she was offended, but no, she was smiling, that mischievous smile that had set Amberle's blood racing in the bath. "Well, well, I never thought you had it in you." She turned to fully face Amberle and put one hand in Amberle's hair, gently pulling her in. She probably wanted it to be tender.

But Amberle leaned in too far and knocked her teeth against Eretria's. "Ouch!"

Eretria burst out laughing, and after a moment Amberle joined in. The sound seemed to chase away the darkness and the cold, if only for a moment.

When they had stopped laughing, Eretria wiped her eyes with one hand. "So, want to try again?"

Amberle was more hesitant this time, letting Eretria take the lead. Eretria's lips were soft against hers, but insistent, and she felt her pulse quicken in response. Amberle leaned into the kiss, wrapping one arm around Eretria, and opening her mouth just a little. She could feel Eretria's hand moving under her clothes, sending pleasant shivers through her body, but when Eretria's hand moved lower, Amberle grabbed it in her own, stopping her.

Eretria broke off the kiss with a gasp. "You don't... want to?" She seemed hurt, disappointed.

"I do, but... I don't know if I'm ready. And what if Wil comes back?"

"Fine." Eretria sighed, and shifted around again so they were sitting the way they had been before.

But this time Amberle let herself relax into it, leaning against Eretria. "I didn't say you had to stop completely," she murmured, and Eretria pulled her closer, stroked her face a little as her eyelids grew heavy with sleep.

* * *

 

When Wil finally came back with the firewood, they were still sitting like that, dozing in front of the embers. He dropped one of the sticks in surprise, and Eretria woke up with a start. Her eyes met his, challenging him, and he shrugged, perhaps not wanting argue, perhaps to avoid waking Amberle, who had, after all, pushed herself so hard lately, before kneeling to add some wood to the fire.


End file.
